I have always been the type of person who accepts others for who they are. It never really mattered to me whether someone was black, white, gay, straight. As long as they led happy and productive lives, who’s to say they should not be who they are? Who would care?

So, you can imagine my heartache and fury when I found out that Proposition 8, a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in the State of California, passed. I could not believe it.  Just a couple of months ago, the California Supreme Court held that it was unconstitutional to refuse to recognize gay marriage.

So what prompted this change of heart? Well, let’s just say that when church and state mix, the outcome is never good. The church follows the bible, which says that marriage is between a man and a women and that it should stay that way. This is the twenty-first century, and in this writer’s opinion, we need to accept that times are changing. These changes need to be embraced. I can understand how people are afraid to accept those who are different, but needs to become a more open and accepting nation.  I do not suggest that others should change their religious beliefs, but that they should not demand that everyone adhere to them.

Since why should the government have the right to define the meaning of love? If two people are in love regardless of their sexual orientation and they are in a committed relationship, why is it the government’s business to decide whether or not they can be together? It’s just so frustrating because it is not like they are hurting anybody and they’re not infringing on other people’s rights. Is wanting to start a life with someone nowadays considered wrong?

The bottom line is that marriage is a partnership between two people who are in love and want to share their lives together. It should not matter if that partnership is between a man and a women or a man and a man or a women and a women, as long as there is love between them and they are happy. Then what is the problem with them wanting to get married? As far as I can see, absolutely nothing!

— Rebecca Greenfield

Editorial Note: This essay comes from a college freshman, whose concerns have shifted from fashionable clothing to politics and civil rights during the last election.  It reflects the possibility that upcoming generations have gotten past the petty social issues that still consume so many and breed intolerance, and can’t comprehend why “grown-ups” are still so hung up on fostering age-old hatred and prejudice.  It gives me hope that today’s foolish battles will soon be sorry chapters in history, like the question of whether a black man could ever be elected President in America.  Needless to say, I’m rather proud of this young woman.